Travellers will save hundreds of pounds on transatlantic air fares following the lifting of US Covid test entry requirements. UK passengers flying on Aer Lingus from Manchester or Dublin can now benefit from £100 off return economy flights and £200 off return business class flights for travel from July through to September.
Aer Lingus has direct flights from Manchester to Orlando and New York JFK. Aer Lingus operates 13 direct routes between North America and Ireland, from Dublin to New York, Newark, Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston, Orlando, Philadelphia, Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle (starts July 7) and with flights from Shannon servicing New York and Boston.
With connections from Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, as well as Heathrow and Gatwick travelling through Aer Lingus’ hub at Dublin, it is a great option for those travelling to or from USA. UK travellers can benefit from Immigration Pre-clearance before departure which allows them to arrive into the US like a domestic customer, avoiding any lengthy immigration queues.
The offer is available on Aer Lingus transatlantic flights booked before Friday June 17.
Reid Moody, chief strategy and planning officer said: “The announcement of the lifting of testing on travel into the US is warmly welcomed by all of us in Aer Lingus. We’re looking forward to welcoming our customers back onboard this summer, and reconnecting families, friends and colleagues, and supporting business and tourism on both sides of the Atlantic.”
The development was also greeted with approval by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic. A spokesperson said: “The removal of pre-departure testing for international arrivals to the US is welcome news. It will boost consumer confidence even further and support the rebound in transatlantic travel this summer, with Virgin Atlantic leading the way offering a full roster of US destinations, including our brand new London Heathrow – Austin service.
“Frictionless transatlantic travel in both directions means reconnecting with loved ones and business colleagues is made even easier, supported by an onboard policy which allows our customers and people to make a personal choice on face masks. We can’t wait to see more of our customers flying with us to the US this Summer.”
Julia Simpson, president and chief executive of the World Travel and Tourism Council, added: "We welcome the decision by the Biden administration to lift the damaging testing requirement for travellers. It will provide much-needed relief to the embattled sector.
"The long-term recovery of US travel and tourism now looks positive, with our projections showing that a fully recovered sector will create more than six million new jobs over the next 10 years. But short term, the measure caused untold damage to an already devastated sector as international visitor spending has been so low over the past two years.”
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